A-Z Challenge: K is for Kelpies

It's time for the letter K. I'm posting for the AtoZ Challenge about Under the Sea Myths & Legends,. Again, I'm featuring a sea creature that takes the form of a horse.

K is for Kelpies

A Kelpie is a shape-shifting water sprite, not to be confused with Each Uisge, the other Scottish mythical sea creature. This one, according to folklore is more demonic than the other one and hangs out near lochs or lakes--not oceans. Like the Loch Ness Monster, Kelpies have a legendary tale from nearly every body of water in Scottland. Centuries ago it was said horses were slaughtered as an offering to the gods, thus creating the Kelpie myth. Other stories say these mystical tales were created to keep the children away from the water.


This beast may shape-shift into a human males mostly but there are some stories that feature a females. When in human form, it's said that humans can spot them by their hooves on their feet and also water weeds in the hair.

Kelpie's like to lure humans into the water and eat them, of course. *shivers* It's said the only way to kill them with a silver bullet which is like the werewolf. Maybe these killing methods are alike because of the shape-shifting component? Who knows?


There some really cool folklore tales about these creatures and others. One book I found was The Celtic Breeze: Stories of the Otherworld from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales by Heather McNeil. This book features many Scottish mythical tales, including that of the Kelpie. Some art from the 18 and 1900s are just as mesmerizing as the folklore. See the picture here of artist, Herbert James Draper, 1913 as he interprets a female Kelpie. Stunning, huh?

Now, these are totally myths right? Yeah, but cool just the same.

Mina Burrows

Book Obsession: Sookie Stackhouse Series

Okay, I was waaaay late coming to the Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse rave.  Being a vamp lover and having a penchant for all things creepy, I should have read these books sooner.  I have no excuse. None.  I knew for a few years I wanted to read them, but I just  didn't have the time until I made some - which meant no sleep.  I believe as a writer, you must read anything and everything that’s out there in your genre, in order to hone your craft.  And so I did.  Today, I thought I’d share some brief thoughts about the series to date and then in another post, I'll share my opinion of the HBO's TrueBlood series.

About the Sookie Stackhouse series:

In a nutshell the Sookie Stackhouse series are a never-ending dish of southern creepy comfort.  These are books I could read for an eternity and never get bored.  Sookie feels so familiar; a woman who thinks she’s a freak in so many ways, yet she’s still human (mostly).  I think we all can relate - at least the human side.  Her Deep South roots keep her unique and alluring to the core.  The way Harris infused Sookie’s Gram's influence is something that speaks to my very marrow.  My Grandma (while alive) used to have these old southern/nearly forgotten adages she’d say to us (the grand kids.) Back then, I laughed and ignored them. Now those memory clips – when I recall them - are like pure poetry to me.  Sookie rattles off these southern sayings that make me yearn for my long-gone grandmother. As you can see, from the beginning, I was smitten. Sookie is smart, fun, positive, a go-getter and never dull.  And above all, she has manners sprinkled with a “do unto others” mentality.  What a concept!  Don’t get me wrong, I love the snarky, tough chick heroine in books, but they are nearly everywhere in stories nowadays and I believe a bit overdone.

Creating solid likable characters comes naturally to Harris. There’s probably not one character I don’t admire in some way.  And the town Bon Temps resembles–"sups" aside– the mess of Podunk towns that I lived around as a kid.  All the creepy creatures, vampires, fairies, elves, shifters, werewolves, witches, etc.… are awesome to say the least. The  story lines are incredible too.  Sookie finds love a few times, so there are always delicious love triangles that will satiate those who need romance in their fiction.  Whether it’s Sookie's first love, Bill, or the forbidden love of Eric, it’s all goooood!  Charlaine Harris knows how to write a series damn it!  There’s a reason why these are so loved.  If you haven’t had a chance to read the series, you really should. They are positively addicting!

Book 12, Deadlocked in the Sookie Stackhouse series comes out in May 2012.  Oh jeez, I can’t believe I have to wait that long.  She released chapter 2 recently for those who haven’t seen it.  Can't wait!

Mina B.

Book Review: Zoe Winters's Blood Lust

Zoe Winters's Blood Lust is a compilation of three paranormal novellas: Kept, Claimed and Mated.  Not being a big fan of novellas, I have to admit...I was pleasantly surprised.  Blood Lust ebook retails via Amazon for $3.49. And if you’re an avid reader, like me, then Blood Lust is a deal for all three novellas. For those that are not convinced, Winters offers the first novella, Kept for free on her website (here).

Kept, Novella 1
Greta is a werecat and finds out her father is planning on sacrificing her in a tribe ritual. Bleeding Greta dry is the surefire way to increase his power. The second Greta uncovers the plot, she does the last thing she ever expected and sought refuge with her tribe’s sworn enemy (sorcerer, Dayne.) While I can appreciate the paranormal mystique surrounding shape shifters and sorcerers, this was my least favorite of the three novellas. The sexual heat between the Greta & Dayne was totally hawt but I thought the plot was too predictable. Still, I suspect the novella accomplished what it set out to do; introduce the hypnotic world of the Preternaturals.

Claimed, Novella 2
Anthony is a vampire monster with a mean streak. I liked Anthony's role in Kept and loved how his bloodlust frenzied state set fire to story # 2, Claimed. Anthony’s unsure why he's attracted to Charlee. She's after all…only human. In the beginning, he’s consumed with bloodlust, mentally struggling with biting, maiming and killing the lovely human, Charlee. The intensity of his internal battle with the beast inside him was riveting. And when he attempted to wipe her memory of the sordid incident, the last thing he should have said was “forget everything.” I found the storyline of Claimed spellbinding. Anthony & Charlee’s relationship was constantly in question. Neither one actually wanted to bind themselves to the other – at least not initially anyway. Claimed was easily my favorite of all three.

Mated, Novella 3
Jane was introduced in Claimed. Her role in the beginning seemed rather cliché. Vampire Goth chick follows the vamp scene. In Mated, her back story unfolds and then I caught a glimpse of her real essence. In Claimed, Jane was paired with Paul (Anthony’s minion vamp). Paul’s abusive tendencies towards Jane were appalling. Jane was what's called, Kindred; having vampire in her DNA. Because she’s an anomaly, the vampires want to own her. For quite some time, she was considered a vampire groupie. The sad truth was she was doing what she had to in order to stay alive. By the time Paul got through with her, Cole (werewolf) was just what Jane needed. Like the vampires, he saw something unique in her, although unable to place it. And in collecting a debt, he snatched Jane away from Paul, imprisoning her in his cave. Jane was terrified of Cole; the werewolf pack leader with the badass reputation. Poor girl's life had been about being a possession more than a person. I really liked the chemistry between Jane & Cole. Mated was a fun read and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too.

Claimed and Mated made this book a hit for me. Overall, I give Zoe Winters’s Blood Lust a 3.5.

Until next time…read about shape shifters, vampires and werewolves.

Mina B.

Book Review: Kiersten White’s Paranormalcy

My review today is for Kiersten White’s Paranormalcy. This is the author’s debut novel and what a YA ride it was. There are spoilers in this review. So beware. After reading a plethora of reviews on the book, I was definitely intrigued but also guarded. Initially, I had concerns about the similarities to Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer covert military operation episodes. Still, I remained open minded and was without a doubt pleasantly surprised.


Evie works for IPCA, a covert operation called the International Paranormal Containment Agency. With no parents, this orphan was picked up by IPCA, who then raised her and trained her for strictly bagging and tagging paranormals. This 16 year old beauty is gifted with seeing through paranormal glamour’s. That might not sound very exciting to most, but when she’s surrounded with paranormals that constantly hide under elaborate glamour, one can see Evie’s allure.

With all the paranormal activity in her life, she begs for a simpler kind of life, a normal one. I was sucked in throughout this novel, feeling Evie’s loneliness. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Poor thing really never fit in anywhere. In her paranormal world, she’s being stalked by an ex-boyfriend, Reth (a faerie) with ulterior motives. Her boss, Raquel, is the only mother figure she’s got. And her best friend is a mermaid, Lish. Yep, you know the girl’s got issues when she refers to the IPCA as being her only family.

In walks Lend, a paranormal teenage boy with a cool power. He’s a shape shifter that can appear as pretty much anyone. And Evie busted him because she saw right through his disguise. How perfect were they made for one another! As empty as Evie is, she was desperate for love, craving attention often. When she first met Lend, she gravitated towards him with curiosity. Why? Because he lives on the outside and goes to a real life high school. Lend lives a normal life and Evie can’t get enough of the detainee.

The two formed a friendship that blossomed into much more. While they begin unraveling the secrets of one another, strange happenings are occurring: paranormals are being killed everywhere. The who, what, where and why are so intriguing, up until the very end of the tale.

I loved Evie and her plight for normalcy. She’s positively refreshing when it comes to characters. Paranormalcy had a unique take on paranormals with an exciting plot. Its true blue young adult and I really liked it. There were way too many unanswered questions at the end and I totally wanted more. Bring it on Book 2, 3, 4? Possibly more? I hope so.

On the Mina Burrows KilloMeter, I give Keirsten White’s Paranormalcy a 4.

Until next time…try something normal. Try Paranormalcy.

Mina B.

Remember...

my Free Book Contest

for Paranormalcy ends Oct. 12th eod.

Click here for details!